What we do

Who we are

Accounting Cafe is an international community dedicated to transforming accounting education in readiness for the challenges and opportunities of tomorrow. Our diverse membership spans university educators, professional trainers, researchers, professional bodies, regulators, practitioners, and students. We operate as an independent voice, connecting stakeholders who share a common interest in the evolution of accounting education and practice.

We particularly value the fresh perspectives that new and early-career educators bring to the community, recognising that innovation often comes from those less constrained by established practices. Our inclusive approach ensures that voices at all career stages contribute to the ongoing dialogue about accounting’s future.

Why we exist

The accounting profession stands at a critical juncture. Artificial intelligence is fundamentally reshaping it, while sustainability assurance and reporting are becoming central to business purposes and activities. Simultaneously, the profession faces persistent challenges in attracting and retaining talent. These profound shifts are fundamentally changing the mindset, aptitudes, knowledge, and skills of future professionals. 

Accounting will continue to have a significant impact on society and will profoundly affect people other than future accountants. Their voices are essential to the conversation that can help reshape accounting.

The future of accounting education requires a coordinated, forward-thinking response from educators, professional bodies and employers. Accounting Cafe sits outside institutional boundaries and provides an open platform where these challenging conversations can take place. It provides practical resources, and helps to ensure the accounting education remains relevant, respected and resilient in the face of change.

What we do

Shape perceptions

Accounting Cafe actively promotes compelling narratives about accounting careers, engaging with schools and universities to attract diverse talent to the profession. We showcase accounting’s vital role in addressing global challenges, presenting a vision of the profession that extends far beyond traditional stereotypes.

Our school outreach programmes bring accounting to life in classrooms, introducing young people to the diverse possibilities within the field long before they make career decisions. Through teacher-development programmes we help students discover how accounting connects to their interests and values.

Connect people

We host events that bring together educators, professionals and students, facilitating roundtable discussions on pressing challenges facing the profession. These forums create valuable spaces for cross-institutional collaboration, breaking down silos that might otherwise impede progress and innovation in accounting education.

Create knowledge

Accounting Cafe conducts and publishes evidence-based articles on pedagogy, curriculum, and skills. We produce authoritative white papers and policy briefs to inform decision-makers across the educational and professional landscape, translating complex trends into actionable intelligence.

Share resources

Our community develops and distributes practical teaching materials for educators that address emerging topics such as digital assets, AI applications and sustainability accounting. We share innovative approaches to accounting education and offer guidance on integrating future-focused content into curricula, helping educators stay ahead of rapidly evolving professional requirements.

We support new and less experienced academics through mentoring programmes, teaching resources and developmental workshops. This commitment reflects our belief that nurturing early-career talent is essential for the long-term vitality of accounting education.

How we work

Our principles

Accounting Cafe maintains rigorous independence, fostering open dialogue without institutional bias. Our recommendations are grounded in practice, experience and research, ensuring that advocacy is backed by evidence. We welcome diverse perspectives and experiences, recognising that the future of accounting education benefits from a multiplicity of voices.

Our community operates on a principle of generosity, where taking is balanced with giving. This reciprocity ensures the sustainability of our shared resources and knowledge. Above all, we remain focused on impact, prioritising initiatives that drive meaningful change in how accounting is taught, learned and practised.

Get involved

Membership in the Accounting Cafe community is free and open to all who share our commitment to advancing accounting education. Participants can attend our events and workshops, contribute to research initiatives, share teaching resources and insights, and join our focused working groups. Whether you are an experienced educator or new to the field, Accounting Cafe offers a collegial platform to connect, learn and grow.

For different audiences

For educators: Accounting Cafe provides access to excellent teaching resources, connections with innovative peers, and opportunities to shape the future curriculum in response to emerging professional demands.

For researchers: Our network facilitates collaboration on forward-looking projects, sharing of findings, and the critical translation of research into educational practice.

For professional bodies: Engagement with Accounting Cafe offers invaluable insights into emerging educational needs, informing qualification design and continuing professional development.

For practitioners: Industry professionals can contribute their practical perspective, mentor students, and help shape the development of future talent.

For students: Accounting Cafe offers a window into the evolving profession and access to supplementary learning resources.

Our aims and principles

We believe that teaching and learning accounting can be an engaging and enjoyable experience. So we are building a community to enable students and teachers to learn from each other.

Our aims are to:

• Share, discuss and develop the best ways to explain accounting concepts to each other and the wider world.
• Provide practical advice, guidance and resources to teachers and learners.
• Demonstrate to students that the accounting profession offers many exciting and varied local and international opportunities.
• Explore the dynamic and evolving nature and purpose of accounting.
• Contribute to the global conversation about accounting.

These are the community’s principles:

• Join in a spirit of generosity and willingness to share. If you take something, please consider giving something back.
• Acknowledge Accounting Cafe whenever you use its materials. This recognises its value and helps to spread the word.
• Do not profit or seek to profit from these materials. They are free to use in educational settings for public benefit. A licence to use them for commercial purposes is available, so please ask.

Resources are being added all the time. Contact us if you have questions or materials to contribute. Read our Guidelines for Contributors to see how and what you might submit.

For educational purposes, most Accounting Cafe content, resources and downloads are free to use, remix, adapt and share under Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). See our Terms and Conditions for details.

Become a contributor

Stay informed about our activities through our regular newsletter, social media channels and events. We welcome enquiries and suggestions via email, as community input drives our direction and ensures we remain responsive to the profession’s evolving needs.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Resources are added all the time.

Contact us if you have questions or materials to contribute. Read our Guidelines for Contributors to see how and what you might submit.

Most Accounting Cafe content, resources and downloads are free to use, remix, adapt and share for educational purposes under Creative Commons Licence Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-SA 4.0). See our Terms and Conditions for details.